Saturday, June 16, 2007

My good friend David Israel is here with me these days. He's working on a Dhrupaddocumentary while also practicing on his Sarangi. Now how many people do you knowwho might give up everything and spend months at the Dhrupad Academy in Bhopallearning Dhrupad from the Gundecha Brothers? Inspired by him, I plan to spend a MUCHbriefer period there, learning what little I can.

David and I have been enjoying extended music sessions for several days now. Both of us explore solitary notes together and find some nameless joy in getting a sequence right. Who will listen to us? God knows. I don't think we have any hopes of ever hitting the rock circuit and developing a crazed teenage following. But we enjoy the long and lonely CORRECT note and thats quite enough, thank you.

His Sarangi is most interesting and it responds well to his efforts. The placement of fingers is almost there, and I enjoy his discoveries of interesting movements between notes. Its fascinating. He amiably accepts tentative suggestions I make for corrections, and has not yet hurled his sarangi at me in frustration. We have explored Yaman, Bhairav, Bhupali, Bageshree, Tilak Kamod, Nand and Bhairavi, in small doses. I would certainly like to have a fraction of his open mind and intense curiosity about music and more. I have gained more from this series of musical encounters than he has, for sure.